Israel Up to the Minute will give first-hand insights on security issues

In the third installment of Israel Up to the Minute, Community Shaliach (Emissary) Yair Cohen, housed at the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, will offer an interactive presentation on current security issues in Israel, on April 17, at 7 p.m. at the Mayerson JCC.

Cohen, an Israeli who is living in Cincinnati temporarily to serve as Cincinnati’s shaliach, will also offer his first-hand perspective—as well as personal responses he’s gathered during a trip home for Passover—on living in a country that’s almost constantly under threat.

“Non-Israelis have a hard time understanding how we can live our daily lives—going to work, doing the shopping, putting the children to bed—with the knowledge looming over us that we could be attacked at any time,” Cohen says. “It makes us cautious and aware, but it does not make us live in fear.”

Part of Israel Up to the Minute will address the very real threat posed by Iran’s growing nuclear capabilities and how it affects individual citizens in Israel. Cohen will discuss, among other reactions, the viral Facebook movement “Israel Loves Iran,” which was started by an Israeli who opposes a preemptive attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities and who chose to post a video directed toward Iranian citizens that expresses that viewpoint. Interestingly, this movement is better known in the U.S. than it is in Israel.

Young adults, ages 21–45, are invited to come early for Power Half-Hour: Libation and Conversations, which this month offers “Chickpea Mashup”—a hummus tasting—and the opportunity to network with other young adults interested in Israel. Power Half-Hour starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Mayerson JCC courtyard and is presented by the Young Adult Division (YAD) of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati.